Oh I am so beat. My back is screaming at me and my leg and foot have been numb since early yesterday morning. They are all actually burning pretty good as well as the lower back feels somewhat swollen. I know I over did it and it is certainly not something I plan on doing again in the near future but I needed to do this. I had to have something to keep me busy and make me feel like I can still contribute to the house. Like I said I really enjoyed getting my hands a bit dirty again and having the pride in seeing a project finished. I am also quite happy that in all the painting and staining, over 6 gallons used of all, I did not get one single drop on my clothes, in my hair or on my skin. I would however be a bit more cheery if I could get the smell of the stain out of my head...
I have been going non-stop since basically the day before yesterday and I am paying for it big time. I am only about 1/2 way through my projects as my back has made it slower then I was hoping to go. We finished putting down 2 coats of primer in the bathroom and painting the first coat but it will need a second coat to make it look really good. There are some light spots and a few roller marks that a second coat should take care of as well I need to get the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling. Some of the old color is still showing through a bit.
I am really happy with the color we chose and after looking at it on the walls it really matches well with the paint in the baby's room. We also changed our minds on our oldest sons room and rather then laying down some primer and then a new color we are going to leave the original paint (Behr's Celtic Blue) and go over it with a roller made from a natural sponge. It should add some texture to the room as well as give it a bit lighter color that I am going for. We also looked at some posters for when we are done with it, some music groups and actors, as well we are looking for a nice periodic table of elements that we can put a decent frame on and then put that over his desk.
While we were back at Home Depot looking for a few small things my wife found some mulch ($4.44 a bag) that she thought would look nice in the front garden so we grabbed 4 bags of that and some citronella candles that were on sale. The mulch is Cedar but whether it was red to begin with or stained I am not sure. When she was done weeding and throwing it down it looks really good. Tomorrow we will go grab 3 more bags so she can finish around the rose bush and then down in front of the retaining wall so it will all come together. I have to say that for about an hours worth of time and $30 in mulch it came out really nice and added some ambiance.
The last things we need to do is finish the deck, around the handrails and banisters, the second coat of paint in the bathroom and put back on the fixtures and mirror, paint the other bedroom and finally put up the privacy tint on the patio doors. For that we went with the mirror finish from Gila Films and I am glad I waited and went to the store to see if they had it rather then buy it from the website. I saved almost $10 a roll and since they had an extra 10% of for all veterans it turned out to be about $26 cheaper for the 2 rolls then had I bought them online, and that does not account for the shipping they would have charged so it is more like $40.
Once that film is up I will be putting up the drape for the doors that we got to match the curtains. We bought them years ago but the drape turned out to be sheer. That presented a few issues with the biggest being that it let not only the light in (which we want) but all the heat from the afternoon sun (the patio doors face west) turning the room into a greenhouse. It also presented a privacy problem or should I say lack of privacy. Since the back of my house faces a hospital it means a lot of people are in and out of the lot across from us and they could see right into the house. With the privacy film is will help reflect the sun and heat as it is mirrored and since it is mirrored it should be most difficult to see in from a distance. That will allow us to put the drape back up, allow in some of the natural light and very little of the heat as well as open the room up some. We are looking forward to that.
While it may seem like a lot of stuff to do we are having some fun doing it. So far we have stayed in the budget and have not spent a lot at all. We figure though that what we spent would easily be recouped ten fold in value on the house, especially the deck. Gone is that peaked looking thing that we were almost embarrassed to entertain on to something that has a rich color and looks almost brand new and we cannot wait to be able to use again. We also found a gate that fits across the stairs. It is a bit taller, almost 3.5', then the ones in the house so our son should not be able to climb it. That means on the nice days I can open up the sliding doors again and leave the screen shut. Previously we could not as he figured out how to undue the screen lock and on a few instances we found him wandering around the deck.
Ok, enough of the rambling for tonight. I am so tired that I am not even sure I am making sense right now (of course that generally does not stop me.)
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